What Makes for a Successful TBED Program?

During the states' fiscal crisis, a number of TBED programs were eliminated, while others survived. SSTI staff spent a fair amount of time analyzing what the survivors had in common, and we boiled the results down to three items that successful TBED programs have in common. While it may seem simplistic, the three commonalities are:

• They do a good job,
• They measure whether they're doing a good job, and
• They tell people they're doing a good job.

Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges is designed around those three points. The conference sessions will help you create, implement and modify programs that will produce results. Two of the sessions are specifically focused on measuring whether you're doing a good job. And, one of the pre-conference sessions addresses the aspect of success that the TBED community tends to do poorly: telling people you're doing a good job.

Marketing Success: Telling the TBED Story on Oct. 13 will offer advice on what to do and the pitfalls to avoid in all aspects of TBED marketing: defining your strategy, building support for investing in science and technology in your legislature, working with the media, and establishing a tech image for your community. We've put together the best in the nation to share their lessons learned and all to be moderated by one of TBED's marketing gurus, Rich Bendis, President and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia. Presenters and panelists are:

Defining Your Strategy Gretchen Roede represents The Garfield Group, an award winning agency that specializes in working in the tech field. Building Legislative Support Kent Glasscock, President of the National Institute for the Commercialization of Intellectual Property, is the former Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives and knows firsthand what works with legislators and what doesn't. Paulette Shafer, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), is the legislative liaison for OCAST and she works day in and day out building relationships with legislators that have helped sustain OCAST during the worst fiscal times. Paul Pescatello, President of CURE, has extensive experience lobbying the Connecticut legislature and understands what it takes to secure legislative support.   Working with the Media Tom Still, President of the Wisconsin Technology Council, was the associate editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, so he knows from personal experience both sides of how best to work with the media.



Establishing a Tech Image John Fremstad, Vice President of Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, has vast experience in image and strategic consulting. Richard Miller, Vice President of Marketing for Innovation Philadelphia, has both corporate and nonprofit experience in marketing.

To learn more about how to effectively tell your story, you must sign up in advance for this pre-conference session that goes from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 13. You can do that on SSTI's website at https://www.ssti.org/Conf04/registration.htm or by calling SSTI at 614-901-1690.

Two other pre-conference options are available:

• If you're interested in the development of angel organizations, including a step-by-step process for determining whether or not your community can support an angel organization and, if it can, the type and structure that is right for the involved investors and your community, you can register for Developing Angel Organizations: A Practical Guide. This session was so highly rated last year that we brought it back this year and asked Sue Preston to expand it to a full day.
• Or if you want an insider's look at University City Science Center, one of the largest urban science and technology parks, you can sign up for the tour that runs from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  Pennsylvania